Engineering genius, technical innovator and one of the greatest figures of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel changed the face of the English landscape with his groundbreaking designs and ingenious constructions. L. T. C. Rolt's masterly biography is the definitive work on Brunel, tracing the life, times and monumental achivements of the man who helped to build modern Britain.
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About the Author
L. T. C. Rolt was born at Chester in 1910. After his education at Cheltenham College he embarked on am engineering career, until he decided to turn to writing. Among his many publications were biographies of Thomas Telford and George and Robert Stevenson (both published by Penguin). Mr Rolt died in 1974.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
75 of 75 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Biographies of engineers can fall into a stereotypical format. A chapter on their childhood and education, then a series of chapters discussing their main works. Personal insight is usually minimal.
Rolt's biography of Brunel is light-years away from this - it is first and foremost a portrait of a complex, ambitious and determined genius, with his engineering placed in a personal, social and historical context. The chequered career of his father and his family background serve to place Isambard in context, too.
Sure, if you want to know how much per foot the rails on the GWR weighed, it's here, but you'll also find fascinating fragments of Brunel's diaries and letters, descriptions of London society in the early nineteenth century, and the remarks of many of those whose paths Brunel crossed during his life.
Brunel's own words are as vigorous and fascinating as those Rolt uses; this is a lively, fast-paced book covering all aspects of a very full life full of innovation.
Rolt's biography of Brunel is light-years away from this - it is first and foremost a portrait of a complex, ambitious and determined genius, with his engineering placed in a personal, social and historical context. The chequered career of his father and his family background serve to place Isambard in context, too.
Sure, if you want to know how much per foot the rails on the GWR weighed, it's here, but you'll also find fascinating fragments of Brunel's diaries and letters, descriptions of London society in the early nineteenth century, and the remarks of many of those whose paths Brunel crossed during his life.
Brunel's own words are as vigorous and fascinating as those Rolt uses; this is a lively, fast-paced book covering all aspects of a very full life full of innovation.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a very engaging read - Rolt's enthusiasm for his subject shines out. This is a full account of Brunel's life and work, with interesting (but not unduly technical) detail on the engineering side. Rolt has been accused of painting too rosy a picture of Brunel - you can read other biographies if you are concerned about that - but you cannot beat this one for inspiration!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Isambard Brunel was an engineering genius, a technical innovative icon out of the top drawer and one of the greatest figures of the Industrial Revolution. His imagination, innovation and sheer manic drive saw Brunel overcome the engineering problems of the day with radical new designs and concepts in regard to the design and construction of ships, railways, bridges and tunnels. He simply changed the face of the English landscape and maritime travel with his groundbreaking designs and ingenious constructions....a man whose engineering masterpieces were years ahead of his time.
L. T. C. Rolt's masterly, authoritative and descriptive biography is the definitive work on Brunel, tracing the life, times and monumental achievements of the man who helped to build modern Britain. He portrays a genius of a man who eventually worked himself to death....fascinating reading on the era where we moved from the horse to the train and from sail to steam sea travel...an excellent read!
L. T. C. Rolt's masterly, authoritative and descriptive biography is the definitive work on Brunel, tracing the life, times and monumental achievements of the man who helped to build modern Britain. He portrays a genius of a man who eventually worked himself to death....fascinating reading on the era where we moved from the horse to the train and from sail to steam sea travel...an excellent read!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Poor
Cover of book was tea stained and creased. In fact whole book looked grubby. It was not near the condition I was expecting
Published 19 days ago by Lawrence Foye
4.0 out of 5 stars
Does justice to an incredible man
I have a keen interest in all things related to the Industrial Revolution, and had been looking for a decent Brunel book for a while (I am a frequent visitor of the Brunel Museum... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Snoozy1
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Brunel Biog
This is the best Brunel biography and a perfect introduction to LTC Rolt who also wrote biographies of Telford and the Stephensons, not forgetting Red for Danger about signalling. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Jonathan Dove
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating and unexpected insight
Highly revealing and often surprising exploration of Brunel. Readable, yet sufficiently (accessibly) detailed on the engineering to expose the intelligence and creativity of this... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Nick G
5.0 out of 5 stars
genius
this is a fine book about a really great man , a british leonardo . if he was around today he wuold soon sort out any water shortage problems. Read more
Published 13 months ago by buggsy
3.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining but far from Impartial
An entertaining read but the author has a far from impartial attitude towards the subject. The author's affinity with Brunel sometimes leads to almost a rant about the subject's... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Beard
5.0 out of 5 stars
brunel
i enjoyed the read very much.i found it very informative and gave a great insight into the life of brunel and the background to his upbringing. Read more
Published on 4 Dec 2010 by fredslot
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent insight in a colossal personality
It is a book that not only makes the reader understand the order of magnitude by which Brunel exceeded everything else in his time, but also what an unimaginably driven person he... Read more
Published on 18 Jun 2010 by Sirbu Mihai
5.0 out of 5 stars
visionary engineer
A first-class biography of the man and his times. Vividly brings the legend to life, setting him against a backdrop of society and politics. Excellent and inspiring. Read more
Published on 1 Jun 2009 by Neil Cowmeadow
5.0 out of 5 stars
Genius
A real genius.
Buy it and enjoy it. Then ask yourself where are today's genius gone?
Buy it and enjoy it. Then ask yourself where are today's genius gone?
Published on 26 July 2007 by Mr. Scott Gilbert
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